I remember when I first decided to start a blog to review films I vowed I’d try to see as many films from any given year I could, so that I could get a real overview of the whole year in film and not try not to skip those films which I knew were just disasters waiting to happen. I also vowed that I’d see at least one more film each year than I had seen the previous one. In 2010, my first year doing this, I saw 210 films, which I thought was a pretty good number. In 2011 I saw 256 releases from that year, upping the quota from the previous year by a whopping 46 films. That number, 256, always seemed pretty huge and I doubted I’d be able to pass it this year. Well, Les Misérables (though I’m seeing it in January) is the 256th 2012 release I’ve seen, and I still have a few more films to go, so I guess 2013 will be the real challenge.

A lot has been made about The Lone Ranger, from the budget issues to the huge production to the fact that a crew member unfotunately died on set a few weeks ago. Well, now at least we have something to feast our eyes upon, as the first trailer for the film has been released and you can watch it below.

Starting with 1990’s Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp has collaborated with his close friend, director Tim Burton, on eight occasions. And I like the two quite a lot, and they certainly have made pretty great contributions to the modern cinematic canon together (one can’t argue the greatness of a film like Ed Wood), but I’m afraid that I’m left thinking that maybe they should put a temporary halt to these collaborations. It feels now that they’re collaborating just because they have fun working together, which is indeed a good reason, but it would be better if they spent just a little extra time getting the material ready for their tandem.

The collaborations between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are insanely popular; and with good reason, too, since the pair have collaborated in seven projects with really fervent fanbases to both critical and commercial success. Now, the pair is due to release their eighth collaboration this May, when Dark Shadows is released.

Les Misérables is a bit too over-the-top and pompous, but it’s still seriously well-made, with a passion and energy that translates to the performances (with one critical omission) even if it doesn’t always do the same with the vocals. Read my review for it here.

Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow’s follow-up to The Hurt Locker is an undeniable masterpiece, a film that’s both disturbing and 100% necessary, the most vital film about post-9/11 America. Read my review for it here.